Cebu Pacific (CEB) reiterated its commitment to buy 100 Airbus and Boeing aircraft at the recent Aviation Festival Asia with CEO Mike Szucs vowing to negotiate “the right economic outcome for the Philippines” as the low-cost carrier plays expansion catch post-lockdown.
A Philippine business report last month confirmed CEB was in talks with the manufacturers for orders of up to 150 aircraft valued at some US$18 billion, said to be the biggest order in the country’s aviation history.
According to Szucs, the need for so many aircraft is based on what he described as a “game changer” – the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan municipality, Bulakan province, about 32km north of the capital.
“The price is always important and we need the right deal from Airbus, Boeing and the engine manufacturer,” he opined.
Szucs’s outlook also stems from the country’s 115 million population which continues to “boom, (with a) GDP growth of six per cent every year and untapped potential”.
“The propensity to travel is four times less compared to Malaysia, and within a four-hour flight radius to the Philippines are two billion people,” he explained.
NMIA, also known as Bulacan International Airport, scheduled to start operating in 2027, will be developed in phases, with an initial capacity of 35 million passengers annually, and a target of 100 million passengers per year, once fully completed.
San Miguel Aerocity, a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings, the infrastructure arm of San Miguel Corporation, holds a concession agreement to develop, construct, operate, and maintain NMIA.
The CEB chief said the privatised facility will be able to offer more slots, as well as improve on facilities and service standards.
CEB’s new fleet will also address the need to cater to the development of regional airports into international gateways like Bohol, according to Szucs, in the next 12 to 18 months.
CEB is said to operate the world’s highest-capacity Airbus A330-900s (A330neo) aircraft with 459 seats, in a single class.
